VW Golf TDI Hybrid probably dead in the water

When Volkswagen showed off the Golf TDI Hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show last month there was plenty of interest in the 69mpg concept. The combination of a 1.2L diesel, hybrid electric drive and a 7 speed DSG transmission yields some seriously thrifty performance. Unfortunately all that cool hardware adds up to quite a bit of cost and it now looks like the bottom line is too big to justify for a car in the Golf's market segment. German magazine Auto Motor und Sport is reporting that the Golf TDI Hybrid will not come to pass. Instead, VW will combine the hybrid system with a 1.4 TFSI four cylinder. In the Geneva press release VW said "The Golf TDI Hybrid is currently a concept vehicle, but a version of this vehicle is likely to go into production in the future." VW of America Spokesman Keith Price told ABG that no firm production plans were announced and the car was just a concept. With the U.S. dollar in continued decline, it seems unlikely we'll see anything as fancy as the TDI hybrid or any other hybrid until VW gets a U.S. production site on-line.